LocalBridge

Writing template - 1 to 5 tabs

Explain to a beginner prompt template

Asking an assistant to simplify usually gets you an analogy and a loss of accuracy. This template asks for plain language and keeps the precision.

The prompt

Explain the material I am giving you to someone competent but new to this subject.

Rules for the explanation:
- Plain words. If a technical term is unavoidable, define it the first time in one clause and then use it normally.
- No analogies unless the analogy is genuinely load-bearing. If you use one, state where it breaks down.
- Do not simplify by removing a qualifier. Simplify by shortening the sentence.
- Keep every number, date and name exactly as the source has it.

Structure:
1. What this is, in two sentences.
2. Why anyone cares, in two sentences.
3. How it works, in five short paragraphs at most.
4. The three things beginners most commonly get wrong here.
5. What to read next and why, from the sources given.

Why this prompt is written this way

Banning decorative analogies is the key line. Analogies are how simplification usually becomes inaccuracy, because the analogy's limits get inherited silently.

'Simplify by shortening the sentence, not by dropping the qualifier' gives the assistant a concrete rule, where 'be accurate but simple' gives it a preference it will trade away.

The common-mistakes section tends to produce the most useful paragraph, because it is where the sources' caveats end up rather than being cut.

Getting more out of it

  • Say what the reader already knows. 'New to this subject but writes code' produces a very different, much better explanation.
  • Include one source that is too advanced. The explanation gets noticeably more precise when the underlying material is deeper than the output.
  • Push back on any analogy you get. Asking 'where does that break down' is the fastest accuracy check available.
  • Reuse section 4 as a review checklist when you write your own version.

Works best with

1 to 5 tabs open at once. Send them together rather than one at a time, so the assistant can compare them instead of forgetting the first by the time it reads the last. Sending tabs to Claude explains the options.

Common questions

Is this the same as asking it to explain like I am five?
No, and that is deliberate. That phrasing trades accuracy for charm. This one keeps the qualifiers and shortens the sentences instead.
Does it work on technical documentation?
It works well there, because documentation is usually precise but assumes context. The template keeps the precision and supplies the context.
Can I get a longer explanation?
Raise the paragraph limit in section 3 rather than removing it. An uncapped explanation drifts back into restating the source.

Other templates

Stop pasting tabs one by one

LocalBridge sends the pages you have open into Claude or ChatGPT in one click, so this template gets the sources it needs.

See how it works